divided serenity

Despite the title of this post, I’m not one for setting goals simply because it’s a new year. But sometimes you need a little boost or nudge to get on with setting fresh goals and the arrival of a new year is the perfect excuse.

I’m taking nine months off work on long service leave to work on my writing, and I already know the time is going fly by.

So what are my goals?

I’ve been dedicated to writing sci-fi, so I’ve decided to branch out and write in other genres. I’ve also been a bit of a slave to the full length novel, so I’m also going to try my hand at a few novellas. As the saying goes, change is good for you. I don’t have work to distract me, and although I am no longer writing as much in the evenings, I am making good word count by day. Usually at least 2k words per day, but I’ve been getting up to a very healthy 4k+ on some days.

I’ve got five different book projects on the go at the moment at various stages of development, which is also unusual for me. Usually, I stick to one and finish it before I move on. I’m finding having several projects to pick from depending on my mood has been really beneficial to my word count. If I’m feeling out of ideas on one, I just pick up another.

It’s early days with this approach but it seems to be working so far. One novella is complete, another is at 75%, and I have had a good stab at a couple of other books. Whether I ever publish them is another matter. I think sometimes just getting back to writing for the joy of it without any end goal in mind delivers its own reward.

My first two books in my new Predictive trilogy are complete and with beta readers. I have some work to do on the first one based on feedback, and I’m letting the ideas incubate before I dive in.

I’m also playing around with the fourth book in the Divided World Series. I swore I would park it to devote time to other projects, but the ideas have been flowing so I figured why not.

And I’m loving being a full-time writer for the first time in my life. And although I know it has an end date, I’m determined to make the most of it.

The Master smiled a congenial smile and bobbed his head in agreement making his slit throat gape obscenely. “That is true, but you are listening to me. How else do you think purgatory works? It creeps over the landscape of our lives, taking a piece at a time. First our dreams, then our waking world begins to crumble as it sweeps through, until it finally claims our shattered soul. As you have already pointed out, I am not yet resting with God and my work is not yet done. And she is, by your own code, a threat. You are a Shadowlander—of the warrior caste. You are genetically bound to eliminate the threat. You can no more avoid killing her than you can avoid drawing breath.”

“Hannah isn’t a threat.” Tanis turned once more to the cell door, pounded on the aged wood and called for the guard.

The Master began laughing, a rich, melodious sound that rose above his furious thumping on the door.

“I’m a writer. My hobbies include not writing.”

I have a bit of a fixation with writing memes, and the above was my favourite from this week. I’ve been on holiday in Brisbane for the last 10 days, and even though I’m on holiday I’ve found it hard to tear myself away from my story. I was sitting in a coffee shop, doing the final read of book 3 from my trilogy before hitting publish, when this meme popped up. Needless to say, it made me chuckle.

I dabbled in writing for so many years before I published, and the moment I did publish it was like BOOM I’m addicted. I really don’t have any other hobbies now…except walking or maybe gardening, because walking and gardening mean you can still think about writing!

Win, win!

Some pictures from my Brisbane trip…

Enoggera, QLD…yes, that is me and not the back of a random person!South Brisbane ForeshoreSouth Brisbane Foreshore

Cute Koala at the Lonepine Koala sanctuaryBotanical Gardens, Brisbane

Toowoomba, QLD

The end of the Divided World…not quite so divided anymore…more of a…well, you’ll have to read it to find out 😉

It’s taken me nearly 18 months, but I’m finally at the end of the trilogy with the 3rd book out on Amazon in print, and ebook on pre-order!
There will definitely be more adventures for Tanis and perhaps even spin-offs, but for now I’m starting a new series.
Such a great feeling to get to the end. And super excited about the next chapter…pun intended

For those who love sci-fi with a touch of fantasy and a lot of conflict!

If you would like a chance to win a paperback copy of Divided Serenity, you can join the Goodreads giveaway below! (UK and US only)

Divided Serenity ~ Revenge is only the beginning.

About Divided Serenity: John Tanis dreams of killing the man responsible for his exile.
Once loyal to the civilized Aterra, Tanis now fights for Shadowland. But the mysterious arrival of technology outside the wall heralds change.
With the dividing wall failing his new loyalties will be tested, and he must choose between revenge and saving the people he once loved.

Where we write…

I thought I would begin my writing update by sharing a little about my writer’s nook (or pod in my case).

The funny looking structure above is my writer’s pod (The bit on the left…the big bit is a bedroom). I call it a pod, because…it really is a little pod on stilts and the perfect place to hideaway and write.

Here is the view into the valley from my window, which of course I never look at because I’m so focused on my writing! Okay sometimes I peak.

The inside of my writer’s pod…it doesn’t normally look quite that tidy! And I am also normally squished onto one side of the desk to make space for my cats…and their blanket.

And this is Toby, who was snoozing beside me while I was writing yesterday.

Writing Update…

I’ve been busy with a couple of writerly things. Firstly, book three has received all the beta feedback, so I’ve made the changes and will let it settle for a couple of weeks before I tackle the final read and review. I’m very excited to see the trilogy completed! And very grateful for all the constructive feedback I’ve had on the book…including all my bloopers. Between ‘discounting’ a horse instead of ‘dismounting’ and ‘lunching’ instead of ‘launching’, I’ve kept my beta readers entertained for all the wrong reasons! 🙂

My second bit of writerly activity, has been cracking into a new draft. This is set on the same planet as my current trilogy, but with a new cast and explores the planet’s colonisation. I’m about 30% in, and going reasonably well…reasonably, because I never feel comfortable with a draft until I get to the end and all the bits come together.

About my beta readers!

We are all at different stages of our writing journey, and so I would like to finish by dropping links and bios on two of my beta readers who are published authors themselves.

Jason J. McCuiston’s story, “The Wyvern” can be found in Pole to Pole Publishing’s new anthology, Dark Luminous Wings. It is a post-apocalyptic steampunk horror story set in the skies above a Mojave Desert filled with magic and dark memories.

You can find out a little more about Jason here in his guest post. Talking about sport and writing! Don’t let the title scare you, I am the least sporty person on the planet, and I learnt something new 🙂

And this is the lovely Cassandra Parker, who always has at least 3 writing projects on the go, but still finds time to read my book and give me feedback! If you are looking for a little 70’s nostalgia with a wistful and endearing love story thrown into the mix then check out her book Harley & Me.

A fantastic world in which you are never quite sure who you should really be supporting.

A great story from G L Cromarty, set in a world of have’s and have not’s. The have’s are the Aterran colonists who on a planet called Serenity have nothing to fear, living in relative safety and comfort behind a huge protective barrier powered by ancient technologies that few now understand. The have not’s are a warrior class called the Shadowlanders who live outside the protection of the barrier and in perpetual war with the primitive warmongering natives called the Jaru. So when the protective barrier fails, what then?

G L Cromarty has created a fantastic world in which you are never quite sure who you should really be supporting. With some surprising plot twists, G L Cromarty cleverly takes the reader on a journey of treachery, deceit and all consuming hatred to weave a great story that surprises and delights.

The first two books in the trilogy are well written and easily consumed and I can’t wait for the climactic third book to arrive soon. Just be aware that the main character Tanis is certainly no angel and this is reflected in his colorful language.

About Book One – Divided Serenity

Long ago, when the ancients colonized the planet named Serenity, they displaced an indigenous population and constructed a dividing force-field wall. But when an earthquake destroys the power to the protective wall, only three people have the skills to repair it—until the first two disappear en route. Now Hannah, as the last expert, must go. Her journey will take her into a native land engulfed by war between ancient enemies. Along the way, her own perceptions will be changed and she will find herself playing a part in a new rivalry between powerful forces in Shadowland determined at bringing down Aterra and that threaten to rip Shadowland apart.

Long ago, when the ancients colonized the planet named Serenity, they displaced an indigenous population and constructed a dividing force-field wall. But when an earthquake destroys the power to the protective wall, only three people have the skills to repair it—until the first two disappear en route. Now Hannah, as the last expert, must go. Her journey will take her into a native land engulfed by war between ancient enemies. Along the way, her own perceptions will be changed and she will find herself playing a part in a new rivalry between powerful forces that threaten to rip the lands apart

This time last year, I was on holiday, and finishing the draft of the 2nd and 3rd books in my Divided World Series.

At the time, I had yet to publish any of the series.

It’s been an eventful year, with Book 1 published in December, Book 2 now on pre-order, and Book 3 in the final stages of review before it is ready to go, too.

I often reflect on how much time I spent writing prior to publishing a book…over twenty years. And how easy it would have been to continue dabbling with out direction for another twenty. While I know not all reviews will be positive, I still need to pinch myself when a positive one pops up on Amazon. As a writer your greatest satisfaction comes from the knowledge that someone enjoyed your work.

I am grateful to all the people who offered encouragement (and the occasional threat) to ensure I took that final nervous step with publishing. Both the direct encouragement from friends and family, and the indirect encouragement from the already published authors whose blogs and articles I read.

If you are yet to publish, I would like to offer you the same encouragement…just do it 🙂

Happy reading and writing everyone 🙂

About Book One – Divided Serenity

Long ago, when the ancients colonized the planet named Serenity, they displaced an indigenous population and constructed a dividing force-field wall. But when an earthquake destroys the power to the protective wall, only three people have the skills to repair it—until the first two disappear en route. Now Hannah, as the last expert, must go. Her journey will take her into a native land engulfed by war between ancient enemies. Along the way, her own perceptions will be changed and she will find herself playing a part in a new rivalry between powerful forces in Shadowland determined at bringing down Aterra and that threaten to rip Shadowland apart.

With the power back and The Wall operational, the land of Aterra is once more safe from the savage armies that dwell in Shadowland. There is just one problem…the people of Aterra have no way of knowing that their protective wall is repaired, and their President, Bill Bremmer, is determined to exploit their ignorance and fear to pursue an agenda all his own, even if it means war. Once again finding herself in the middle of forces beyond her control, and with enemies and deception on all sides, Hannah tries desperately to save her home, and to discern the truth about those around her.

It has been a busy few months since the release of book 1 in my Divided World Series. I have been busy editing book 2, which takes me an awful long time, and I went through many rounds before I felt ready to send it out to my beta readers.

I have received some excellent feedback so far (my beta readers are awesome btw), and I have made a few tweaks to address points they raised. Now, I am just waiting for the final batch of feedback, after which I will make any further necessary adjustments. Then it will be onto the last editing checks to make sure I have not stuffed anything up while I was tweaking! Which does happen 😉

While waiting on the beta feedback, I have got straight onto editing book 3, which I finished drafting in June last year…Feels like a long time ago now. Book 3 needed a little more detail on a particular story thread, so a couple more chapters have been added. Once I re-read it, I will get a feel as to whether this is sufficient. I may need to add one more chapter…will have to see. The 3rd book is already pretty chunky at 110k so I am hoping I can chop it back during editing.

Book 3 concludes all the major plot points, and provides a nice container for a significant section of the storyline. However, it will definitely carry on, and I have already started incorporating some new players for book 4 in book 3. So much fun!

One of the things I love about writing, is the delight of sitting on the humongous secrets that your book reveals along the way. I love leaving surprises along the way.

One of my other loves about writing is getting into my characters. I love how they unravel before my eyes and how the personality flaws and nuances emerge the more I think about them. I am really enjoying some of the new characters introduced in book 3 who will become the new players in book 4. I can see that they will nicely take up the slack left from those characters who will be exiting.

In the background, I have been mulling over the idea of tackling the story of the planet’s inception. I drop hints and details along the way, but it would make a great story in itself. Also the prequel about how John Tanis and Bill Bremmer come to conflict, which I think would also make a great addition at some point…again I am deciding whether to let certain revelations out in book 3 or save it for the prequel book…ah the power you have when crafting a book! So many choices!

Wishing everyone happy reading and / or writing 🙂

About Book One – Divided Serenity

Serenity Divided, a science fiction novel, is set on a colonised planet, where a force-field wall separates the technologically advanced settlers from the planet’s native inhabitants. When an earthquake destroys the power to maintain their protective wall, a repair team will need to travel through native lands on the precipice of war, and their unlikely offer of aid will come from John Tanis—the sworn enemy of the colony leader—who was exiled ten years ago.

Divided Serenity, a science fiction novel, is set on a colonised planet, where a force-field wall separates the technologically advanced settlers from the planet’s native inhabitants.

The two parts of the world rarely interact, other than a few individuals who are given license to travel outside the colony into the native lands where they act as observers, watching and reporting.

Beyond the protective wall the lands are consumed by conflict, with the Shadowlanders and the Jaru existing in a delicate balance of power. The Shadowlanders are semi-civilised, but the Jaru have vast numbers, and the two people collide in a perpetual state of war.

The colonists, known as the Aterrans, have lived there a long time. Eons. Many Aterrans don’t even believe they are colonists, but are native to the planet themselves. They live in a vast sprawling collection of cities, separated from the rest of the planet by mountains to the north, sea to the south and west, and a vast wall to the east. Much of the colony infrastructure relies on Ancient Technology, so called because it’s as old as the colony. Ancient technology is considered indestructible—it just works. Repairs are infrequent and self-automated. People are superfluous to its operation.

The few people who know about ancient technology are more historians than technical experts. They study the technology in the way a modern day historian might try to decipher an ancient Egyptian scroll.

Aterra has no weapons—they never needed any. So when a natural disaster compromises their force-field wall, their protection from the natives, their very existence is put at risk…and that’s where Divided Serenity starts.